Band Aid 30
Band Aid is a charity supergroup featuring mainly British and Irish musicians and recording artists. It was founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for anti-famine efforts in Ethiopia by releasing the song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" for the Christmas market that year. On 25 November 1984, the song was recorded at Sarm West Studios in Notting Hill, London, and was released in the UK four days later. The single surpassed the hopes of the producers to become the Christmas number one on that release. Two subsequent re-recordings of the song to raise further money for charity also topped the charts. The original was produced by Midge Ure. The 12" version was mixed by Trevor Horn. Background The supergroup was formed by Bob Geldof, former lead singer of Irish Band The Boomtown Rats. The BBC played a major role in capturing the poverty affecting Ethiopian citizens and thereby influenced Geldof to take action. Paula Yates, Bob Geldof’s partner, is considered to have been the brains behind the original Band Aid. It was she who became the driving force that inspired (and helped) Geldof to rally the most famous pop stars of the Eighties to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. The group was composed of forty artists to raise awareness and funds for the Ethiopian famine in 1983-1985. The group's name stemmed from the idea that the musicians were providing aid to the less fortunate and suggested that their project was likened to putting a band-aid on a wound. Geldof was looking for support from all nations for Africa beginning in the United Kingdom. To do so, the artists recorded a hit single titled "Do They Know It’s Christmas?" depicting the poverty stricken African scenery of the time. Lyrics of the song included description of the country saying, “where nothing ever grows, no rain or rivers flow, do they know it’s Christmas time at all?” Ethiopia follows the Orthodox calendar where Christmas is celebrated on the seventh of January. Band Aid 30 Band Aid 30 is the 2014 incarnation of the charity supergroup Band Aid. The group was announced on 10 November 2014 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, with Geldof stating that he took the step after the United Nations had contacted him, saying help was urgently needed to prevent the 2014 Ebola crisis in Western Africa spreading throughout the world. As in previous incarnations, the group covered the track "Do They Know It's Christmas?", written in 1984 by Geldof and Ure, this time to raise money towards the Ebola crisis in Western Africa. The track has re-tweaked lyrics to reflect the current Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa with all proceeds going towards battling what Geldof described as a "particularly pernicious illness because it renders humans untouchable and that is sickening". Recording The song was recorded on 15 November 2014, with all contributions going towards battling the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa. Due to her filming commitments on The Voice UK, Rita Ora recorded her lines first thing in the morning, and was not present for the whole group chorus (although the video cuts to her singing alone along with them). The song was recorded in Sarm West Studios inNotting Hill, London, the same studio used for the original track. Organiser Bob Geldof said he addressed the participants "like the headmaster" before they sang the chorus: "I explained the situation in West Africa, I explained what the UN were saying, explained what we could do, and just geed them up." Footage of the recording of the session was streamed live on an official app, with the footage forming the basis for the music video. The record was produced by Paul Epworth, who has worked with the likes of Adele and One Direction. Lyrics Unlike Band Aid II and Band Aid 20, where lyrics were almost identical to the original, the lyrics to "Do They Know It's Christmas?" for Band Aid 30 have been altered to address the current situation in Western Africa, with the ongoing Ebola epidemic. The changes include: * "Where the only water flowing is the bitter sting of tears" replaced with "Where a kiss of love can kill you and there's death in every tear" * "Well tonight thank God it's them instead of you" replaced with "Well tonight we're reaching out and touching you" Release The official music video for Band Aid 30 was first shown on the results show of The X Factor on 16 November 2014, with Geldof suggesting that the song and video shown on The X Factor may not be the finished versions. "We'll have a rough edit on The X Factor and we'll have a rough edit of the film," he said. The video was introduced by Geldof, who described the new recording as a "bit of pop history". He said the video—which began with shots of victims of Ebola—was "harrowing and not meant for an entertainment show" but was something The X Factor audience should see. Following this, the song was available for digital download on 17 November 2014, just 11 days short of the 30th anniversary of the release of the original version of the track. The physical version of the song was released three weeks later on 8 December, and featureed cover artwork designed by artist Tracey Emin. The download costs 99p, while the CD single will retail for £4. The song will not be made available on Spotify and other music streaming services until January 2015. There was a remix of the track by the electronic group Underworld. On 15 November 2014, it was confirmed by Geldof that the Chancellor George Osborne would waive VAT on the record, with all the money raised by the track going towards the cause. He also confirmed in interviews that iTunes is not taking a cut of the 99p download cost. On 18 November 2014, the BBC reported that the song was the fastest selling single of the year so far, with 206,000 copies sold since its release the day before. Martin Talbot, Chief Executive of the Official Charts Company, said: "Everyone expected a strong start from Bob Geldof and his team, but they have outperformed expectations with a truly exceptional first day's sales." This makes it the fastest selling single since the Military Wives track "Wherever You Are" in December 2011. Music Video Participants The line up for Band Aid 30: Organisers and producers * Bob Geldof – organiser * Midge Ure – organiser * Paul Epworth – producer Instruments * Roger Taylor (from Queen) – drums, keyboards * Milan Neil Amin-Smith (from Clean Bandit) – violin * Grace Chatto (from Clean Bandit) – cello Vocals * Bono (from U2) * Clean Bandit * Paloma Faith * Guy Garvey (from Elbow) * Ellie Goulding * Angélique Kidjo * Chris Martin (from Coldplay) * Sinéad O'Connor * One Direction * Rita Ora * Olly Murs * Emeli Sandé * Seal * Ed Sheeran * Dan Smith (from Bastille) * Sam Smith * Underworld * Jessie Ware Remixes * Underworld Chart Performance After release for download, the single went straight to number one in the UK Official Singles Chart for week ending 29 November 2014 having sold 312,000 copies. It dropped the following week. On its physical release on 8 December, it reached number three. The UK version of the song reached number 25 in France, number 2 in Germany and number 1 in Spain and Ireland. Category:Charity Category:Songs Category:Songs with music videos Category:As featured artist